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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ball — a dance
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. vault — a safe
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — the fruit
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com